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Tech Guide: MP3 player buying guide By Eliot Van Buskirk, Special to ZDNet May 28, 2004 URL: http://www.zdnet.com.au/reviews/coolgear/audio/soa/Tech-Guide-MP3-player-buying-guide/0,139023372,139148881,00.htm
The MP3 player market covers a range of shapes, sizes, features, storage capacities, file formats, and download services. Amid such variety, how are you to choose? This guide will help you pick the perfect player.
Every month, manufacturers unleash even more MP3 players to an increasingly confused public. Not only do these devices have wildly divergent features, but ongoing format wars mean the MP3 player you choose dictates where you can buy your digital music. These devices are anything but one-size-fits-all. First, there's the question of design. A player can have every feature in the world, but if the design doesn't match your lifestyle or if the interface is impenetrable, you still won't enjoy it. You'll want to look closely at performance; sound quality and battery life can make or break a player, especially if you travel a lot or have the so-called golden ears of an audiophile. Before you start checking out specific models, you should have a basic understanding of the types of MP3 players available. Note: All types of player mentioned below can play other formats besides MP3, such as WMA or AAC, but we still refer to them as MP3 players. Types of players: Hard drive based | Micro hard drive based | Flash based | MP3 CD
 Hard drive-based players
Most likely, a high-capacity player can accommodate every song you've ever purchased. Hard drives run from 10GB on up, and large players such as the 60GB Creative Nomad Jukebox Zen Xtra can hold around 17,000 songs, assuming an average file size of 3.5MB per tune.
Pros: They store all your music on one device. Cons: These players are usually built around a 1.8-inch hard drive; thus, they are larger and heavier than the others. Also, hard drives have moving parts, so these players aren't ideal for strenuous physical activity. Finally, most use rechargeable batteries (usually lasting 6 to 16 hours per charge) that you can't replace yourself, so after a couple of years, you might have to pay for a new model.
Micro hard drive-based players
Straddling the line between full-size hard drive-based MP3 players and compact, flash-based players, these models aim to give you the best of both worlds by using miniature hard drives (about 1 inch in diameter) with capacities of up to 5GB. Players such as the Rio Nitrus can't store as much music, but they feel a lot lighter in the pocket.
Pros: They're smaller and lighter than high-capacity players but still hold more tunes than flash-based models with the same price. Cons: You get fewer megabytes per dollar than you do with a larger player, and these models have many of the same disadvantages of larger hard drive-based units, including the moving parts that limit physical activity and nonremovable batteries that eventually wear out and need to be replaced.
Flash-based players
The original MP3 player design, these have no moving parts and are known for their shockproof operation and ultracompact dimensions. Devices range in capacity from 32MB to 1GB. Creative's Nomad MuVo line, for example, includes mostly flash-based players.
Pros: Flash-based players are tiny. They also have no moving parts, so their batteries last longer, and you can jog, snowboard, or bungee jump with them without causing skipping or damage. Cons: They have the highest per-megabyte cost and max out at 1GB.
MP3 CD players
These look just like portable CD players, except they can read data CDs filled with digital music. You can burn approximately 150 MP3 songs (10 albums) on one 650MB disc. But if you want to take your CD collection with you, no worries -- these devices can play standard CDs, as well.
Pros: These are the least expensive of all types of MP3 players, and they use incredibly cheap replaceable media (CD-R/RW discs). Cons: They're large and can skip when jostled.
The MP3 player market covers a range of shapes, sizes, features, storage capacities, file formats, and download services. Amid such variety, how are you to choose? This guide will help you pick the perfect player.
Find out what makes it possible for us to listen to a bunch of 1s and 0s.
The inner workings: Digitizing music | Compression | Playback | File types at a glance
Digitizing music
At their most basic level, digital music such as MP3s looks a lot like any other computer data file: a long series of 1s and 0s. In order to turn an analog signal (such as one picked up by a standard microphone) into a digital stream, ADC (analog-to-digital converter) software measures the signal at a regular interval to find the sampling rate. These samples, if measured close enough together, form a near-exact representation of the analog signal so as to approximate the transmission using 1s and 0s that computers and MP3 players can read.
 Compression
Each second of true CD-quality sound takes up more than 1.3MB of disk space, which is why file-compression technology is essential to digital audio, especially portable audio. Using principles of psychoacoustics (how the brain perceives sound) and perceptual coding (eliminating imperceptible sounds), engineers develop algorithms, called codecs (compression decompression), that compress songs into the smallest possible sizes with minimal loss of quality. The sound depends on two factors: the quality of this compression algorithm and the bit rate at which the song is encoded, measured in Kbps.
Playback
When you play a digital file, you essentially reverse the analog-to-digital process. A digital audio device, such as an MP3 player or a computer sound card, uses a DAC (digital-to-analog converter) to turn the 1s and 0s back into an analog signal that can then be amplified and broadcast over headphones or speakers. The sound depends on the attributes and quality of the digital file, the DAC chip in the player, the amount of distortion and hiss added by interference from the device's other circuitry, and the audio output level of your headphones or speakers.
When a digital device plays music that has been compressed by a codec, software on its chip (called firmware) applies the codec to decode the file, then sends the decompressed 1s and 0s to the DAC.
File formats at a glance
The first format or codec to gain widespread acceptance was MP3, but there are now a variety of players on the market that support AAC, WMA, OGG, and other formats. This table will help you sort out the alphabet soup and determine which codecs you need in an MP3 player.
The MP3 player market covers a range of shapes, sizes, features, storage capacities, file formats, and download services. Amid such variety, how are you to choose? This guide will help you pick the perfect player.
Figure out what kind of MP3 player user you are and help narrow the field.
User profiles:
Commuter |
Fitness freak |
Traveler |
Audiophile |
File hoarder |
Audio recorder
MP3 players are definitely not one-size-fits-all. They come in a range of shapes and sizes, use different types of memory, and support different formats. You should choose the player that both meets your needs and suits your personality.
As we see it, here are the main personality profiles for MP3 player users, as well as questions to help determine which camp(s) you fall into. Some people align with more than one type, and they should possibly consider buying more than one MP3 player to address various needs. For instance, you might want an ultracompact flash player for jogging or skiing and a high-capacity hard drive-based device for more general use.
Commuter
You listen to your stereo at home and to your computer at work, but filling your commute with tunes requires a portable player. If you commute by car, look for a hard drive-based model; size doesn't matter much in this situation, so feel free to save money by buying a heftier unit. You'll also need a cassette-style adapter and a cigarette-lighter charger. The former can be purchased anywhere, but for the charger, stick with manufacturer-approved accessories; that way, you'll avoid frying your player with the wrong voltage or polarity. If you commute via subway or bus, look for a compact flash-based player and, to seal out as much of the din as possible, a pair of noise-canceling or sound-isolating headphones.
Fitness freak
If you spend all your free time in the gym, you need an MP3 player that can keep pace. It should be compact and easy to operate with one hand. Rather than looking for one with massive storage, choose a flash-based model (with up to a 1GB of storage) that can also withstand tough workouts better than hard drive-based players. You may also want an armband, an option on many ultracompact models, and a set of headphones that will stay in place rather than the cheap earbuds typically included.
Traveler
If you spend a lot of time on the road, you need an MP3 player that will enhance your journeys with music yet doesn't add undue weight to your carry-on. If you travel with the same laptop that stores your music, a compact flash-based player is the way to go, but if you'd rather leave the laptop at home, try a high-capacity player that will hold all or most of your music. Accessories worthy of consideration include noise-canceling or sound-isolating headphones for the plane, as well as a portable speaker setup for your hotel room.
Audiophile
Although often misused, the term audiophile refers to those users who prize sound quality above all other factors. Audiophile stereo systems often run upward of $10,000 and include pro-level components connected with gold-plated cables. Audiophiles have been reticent to adopt the MP3 format, due to its lossy compression, but if they choose high-enough bit rates and look for lossless codecs in their MP3 players, their portable needs can be satisfied. It goes without saying that audiophiles would never use bundled headphones, so high-end replacement 'phones are a must.
File hoarder
If your appetite for digital music has your computer's hard drive(s) bursting at the seams, you fit the description of the file hoarder. While sound quality and features are important to you, what you need most is an enormous capacity: at least 40GB but maybe even more. Today's portable music devices max out at 60GB or so, which should be enough to keep you satisfied until manufacturers can fit more memory into the 1.8-inch drives used by high-capacity MP3 players.
Audio recorder
For some reason, MP3 player manufacturers have been loath to embrace tapers and other portable-recording aficionados and rarely include a mike-level input. That said, a number of players on the market can record from line-level sources such as CD players or stereo outputs, so they're great for converting CDs, tapes, and vinyl records to digital formats such as MP3, WAV, or WMA. Those wishing to record live audio can do the same, although they'll need a powered microphone that can output a line-level signal.
The MP3 player market covers a range of shapes, sizes, features, storage capacities, file formats, and download services. Amid such variety, how are you to choose? This guide will help you pick the perfect player.
These days, manufacturers are adding an ever-widening array of features to their players in order to set them apart from the competition. These are the extras that you may want to consider.
Extra features:
Radio |
In-line remote |
Music recording |
Voice recording |
Radio
Many players offer FM radio reception, although they're more common on flash devices, which lack the spinning hard drives and the CD-playing features that can interfere with the signal. AM radio is extremely rare. Other radio-related features include FM recording (usually to MP3), transmission (for playing back audio wirelessly through home and car stereos with FM tuners), and presets.
In-line
remote
For larger hard drive-based or CD MP3 players that you stow in a bag, an in-line remote control in the middle of the headphone cord is a great feature. Look for a model, such as the iPod, with a clip for attaching the remote to your bag strap. Ideally, it should also have a display with full functionality, such as the one found on most iRiver models.
Music recording
Most MP3 players that record high-quality audio suitable for music recording as opposed to voice memos or interviews do so through an analog line-input, but there are exceptions. A few devices also record digitally or from mike-level sources. The former works great for dubbing tracks from modern stereo components. The latter lets you use a small, unpowered microphone for live recording. (You can record live audio without a mike-level input but only with a powered mike that outputs a line-level signal to the device's line-in jack.) If you want the highest-quality recordings, make sure the player has a decent ADC and can record to uncompressed WAV files. Real-time encoding to MP3 or WMA comes in particularly handy when encoding from vinyl, cassette, or CD without a computer.
 The iRiver iHP-120's input and output jacks work with both analog and digital optical signals. Voice recording
Some MP3 players have a small internal microphone for recording the spoken word. These are acceptable for documenting a lecture, a meeting, or a conversation but unsuitable for high-quality music recording. The sampling rate is typically low, and the recordings are mono. The upside is that you can usually record several hours of memos, then upload the files to your PC for attaching to e-mail or archiving.
Data storage
Many MP3 players can double as external storage devices, allowing you to shuttle data between PCs. Some models don't even require drivers; thus, you could transfer a resume or a presentation to the laptop of the person seated next to you on a flight. So-called plug-in players don't even need a cable since they have built-in USB connectors.
Personal information
management
Some MP3 players can accept phone books and schedules. The information is generally entered into Outlook or another PIM program, then synced to the device where you can view it but not change it on the go. These features tend to be limited and, for most, won't replace a handheld.
Sound-tweaking options
Audio purists generally prefer to hear songs exactly the way the recording engineers mixed them and don't have much use for digital signal processing (DSP), which changes a song's equalization or spatial characteristics. But since digital audio files come from multiple sources and people have individual sonic preferences, EQ and other DSP settings can be useful. Look for a customisable EQ setting (the more bands the better; five is the norm), as well as the standard presets (Rock, Jazz, Bass Boost, and so on). In terms of spatial enhancers, DSP features such as the SRS Wow add-on can make music coming through headphones sound like it's bouncing around a large room. It's purely a matter of personal preference, but we think music sounds better with some degree of customisation.
Advanced playback
features
Just about every player offers shuffle, repeat, resume, and playlist functions. Still, there's room for improvement. Newer models offer the ability to create on-the-fly playlists sans a computer; smart playlists that can serve up, for example, a mix of '80s hip-hop; song-rating methods in which preferred tunes appear more frequently in Shuffle mode; automatic cross-fading that adds smooth transitions between songs; automatic volume control, which makes all songs equally loud; and other artificial intelligence modes that can make it feel like a pro DJ is spinning tunes for you.
Port compatibility
All computers sold today come with a USB 1.1 port. All current Macs and certain PCs also ship with FireWire ports, while many PCs have either USB 1.1 or its faster descendent, USB 2.0. All MP3 players use either USB 1.1, USB 1.1/2.0, or FireWire ports for loading tunes from a computer. Some next-generation models even ship with Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and/or Bluetooth capabilities. You should choose a player that has the same type of connection or wireless protocol as your computer(s). If you plan on connecting your MP3 player to your stereo, get a device with a line-out port, or if your stereo supports digital output, be sure your player does so as well. These outputs make songs sound slightly cleaner over speakers.
The MP3 player market covers a range of shapes, sizes, features, storage capacities, file formats, and download services. Amid such variety, how are you to choose? This guide will help you pick the perfect player.
Back when the cassette Walkman ruled the portable audio domain, you didn't have to seriously think about whether your player would play the music you bought. And when the first widespread digital format (the compact disc) was introduced, consumers faced relatively minor compatibility issues; you had to buy a CD player but could record cassette mixes from CDs without a lot of hassle. With an MP3 player, you have to consider where your music is coming from to ensure your device will play your music. Here's what you need to know about music compatibility.
Where's it coming from?:
Existing music on your computer |
Compact discs
Existing music on your
computer
If you've already ripped and/or downloaded lots of music, choose a player that supports the format(s) you're already storing. If it's MP3, you're OK with any player, but rarer formats are supported by only certain devices. When you're reading one of our MP3 player reviews, check out the Features or Specs tab to find out which formats the device takes.
Compact discs
If all of your music is still on CDs, you can buy just about any MP3 player since you'll first need to convert your discs to MP3, WMA, OGG, or one of the other formats mentioned earlier. Normally, the necessary software is included with the player, but if not, try Musicmatch. You'll typically use that software to organise the music files, set up various playlists, and transfer music to your device.
Online music stores
Here's where it gets really tricky. If you plan on buying music downloads from an online music store such as iTunes Music Store or Napster, you need to make sure your player will work with the formats offered. In an ideal world, you'd be able to play any legally purchased music on any MP3 player, but due to format wars, that's not possible. If you know you're going to buy tunes online, you'll first have to select a store you like, then a player that supports the store.
One important note: Digital audio devices sometimes support the unprotected version of a certain codec but not the secure version. For instance, some MP3 players play normal, unprotected WMAs that you create from your own CDs but not the secure WMAs sold by online music stores such as Napster, BuyMusic, Musicmatch, Dell, and so on.
The files sold by these stores come with usage restrictions that commonly limit playback to three computers and stop you from mass-producing burned mixes. These restrictions can cause device compatibility problems, but the trade-off for consumers is that those safeguards make the labels comfortable enough to license their songs to online stores. P2P networks
Most tunes available on file-sharing networks (also called peer-to-peer or P2P networks) are already in the MP3 format, so there are no compatibility issues in this situation. Since someone else did the encoding, however, the audio quality of files on these services varies.
Vinyl/cassettes
If you have lots of music on vinyl, cassettes, or even 8-tracks, you can record it onto your computer, turn the files into MP3s, then transfer those to any MP3 player. In order to simplify the process, consider buying a player that has line-in recording and allows you to encode MP3s directly from your stereo. If your stereo has a digital optical output and you want to record MP3s this way, make sure to find a player that has a digital optical input; this will preserve sound quality during the recording process. If there's no digital optical output on your stereo, any player with an analog input will do.
The MP3 player market covers a range of shapes, sizes, features, storage capacities, file formats, and download services. Amid such variety, how are you to choose? This guide will help you pick the perfect player.
By now, you should have a pretty good idea of how to choose an MP3 player. But the fun isn't over yet. You can pick from an endless number of accessories that will enable you to use an MP3 player as your car stereo, protect your hardware, improve your player's sound quality, and much, much more. Here are the main types of add-ons for portable audio players.
Extra goodies: Headphones | Optional add-ons | Battery life and type
Headphones
Some people don't care about which headphones they use, but they probably haven't tried on a high-end pair; the difference will blow you away. The sound quality on MP3 players varies but nowhere near as much as that of headphones, so be sure to budget for a new set. If you want more "oomph" from your digital music, bite the bullet and invest in a decent pair -- your ears will appreciate it.
Some headphones can keep external noise from interfering with your music. Noise-canceling models work by electronically negating external sound, while sound-isolating headphones form a seal around the ear canal to stop other audio from getting in. Both types are great for planes or other boisterous environments, but we wouldn't recommend them for biking through city streets or any other activity that requires awareness of your surroundings.
   The Etymotic ER-4 earbuds have rubber seals that block out lots of surrounding noise. Optional add-ons
Scour product reviews and manufacturer Web sites to determine whether any optional add-ons are available. Examples include in-line remote controls, jogging kits, deluxe carrying cases, flash memory adapters, FM transmitters, flash memory, docking stations, USB/FireWire kits, extra rechargeable batteries, car adapters, and more. Just because these extras are optional doesn't mean they won't enhance your enjoyment of the device.
How about using an MP3 player in your car? As far as cassette adapters go, they work with anything that has a mini headphone jack, so there are no compatibility issues. Yet you have to be really careful with power adapters for both car cigarette lighters and wall plugs. Use only those provided by the manufacturer; even if the plug physically fits, you still need to confirm the adapter's polarity, voltage, and amperage. While amperage can usually be 20 percent less or up to 100 percent more than what's needed by the player, polarity and voltage must be identical to the unit's requirements. If you're unsure about these factors, skip the bargains and buy the power adapter sold by the manufacturer -- you'll avoid frying your player.
 The Ten Technology Navipod lets you control your iPod from across the room. Battery type and life
Most hard drive-based players come with nonremovable lithium-ion batteries, which typically last two to four years. Many manufacturers have some sort of return/repair plan, so check the warranty policy before you buy
Flash and MP3 CD players are split between those using AA or AAA batteries and those with an internal rechargeable cell. Since flash players need to be synced more often and it's easy to recharge as you sync, flash players with rechargeable batteries are usually preferable. Generally speaking, the larger the player, the longer the battery life, but this isn't always the case, so be sure to read the battery-test results in our reviews before you pull out your wallet.
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